Traditionally duck decoys are stationary mimics of waterfowl placed during a hunt to entice birds toward a hunter. More recently devices have been developed, in some manner, to apply movements to these decoys in order to further simulate movement of animal to improve hunting success. This device attempts to mimic the mating dance behavior of some waterfowl species known as head pumping or head bobbing. This well documented behavior is when a bird raises and lowers its head in a rhythmic pattern to entice its mate. This device uses a simple off center cam (a mechanical device consisting of an eccentric curved wheel mounted on a rotating shaft, used to produce variable or reciprocating motion in another engaged or contacted part) and an alternative “level wind”worm gear/pawl (a mechanical device consisting of a follower traversing a reversible groove shaft) in which both are spun by a small motor to cause the head of the decoy to move up and down.
Several mechanical decoys have been developed with advantages in simulating the movement of a particular game species. The decoys use a variety of devices to generate the movement. Of course, the object of the simulated movement is to fool animals to be attracted into believing that the decoy is a real animal. Most of these prior movable decoys move in a manner to simulate feeding (forward and backward horizontal head movement), swimming (leg movement) or flying (wing movement). However, the present decoys are unable, in a simple manner, to fully simulate the realistic movement of waterfowl mating behaviors such as head pumping and bobbing. This is accomplished in this waterfowl decoy, such as by including up and down vertical head movement by small battery powered motor enclosed within a waterfowl mimicking body.
Thus, there is a need for a decoy apparatus, and related method of attracting waterfowl, which realistically and more completely simulates the mating behavior movements of bird head pumping/bobbing in a compact and transportable manner. Such a decoy would simulate an up and down vertical head motion movement for greater realism. Ideally, the decoy would also do such a movement with an apparatus which is compact, easy to transport and to deploy in the wild. Also, such a decoy would have a basic simple design, able to be operated with ease, would be reliable in most weather conditions and is fairly maintenance-free.